Regrets of a Broken Heart
by PeopleChangeMemoriesDont
Summary: Rose completely blames herself for Jack's death, and when Cal shows up, she believes that he is no more than she deserves. If ONLY there were a way for her to see that Jack isn't quite as gone as she thinks...
1. Chapter 1

**Oh my gosh, I can't believe how good it feels to start another Titanic story! I have missed this so, so much! I've pretty much been planning this story in the back of my mind since I finished my other Titanic one a few months ago, and I really hope everyone likes it! Alright, enough with me talking. :) Just remember to review, please!**

"Come…Josephine…in my flying…machine…" Rose sang quietly, grasping Jack's hand and staring up at the stars. She wondered if there were people up there, people who had never experienced the kind of horror and grief that she had been subjected to in the past six hours.

Suddenly, a brightness shone in her peripheral vision. Rose let her head slowly turn toward it, at first believing it to be simply a figment of her desperate imagination, or perhaps the light that people saw when they were dying. But then she saw the boat, and heard a man's voice, even though her frostbitten ears couldn't quite make out the words that he was shouting.

Relief flooded through her. They were safe! She and Jack would get their happy ending after all. "Jack!" she cried, her voice hoarse. "Jack, there's a boat! Jack!" He didn't move.

"Jack!" Rose shook him harder, frustrated that he wasn't responding. A horrible thought occurred to her, planted in the back of her mind. "…Jack?" she asked timidly.

He still didn't move, and she wrinkled her brow. Why was he pretending? Why was he teasing her like this?

The tears started to flow, as if her body knew what her mind refused to accept. "There's a boat, Jack," she said, even though she knew, deep down, that he would never get on that boat.

She laid her head back down on the board, her body shaking from grief. She could feel his arm clamped around hers protectively, the last gesture that he would ever make. _This can't be happening_. Jack was a survivor; he had told her so himself!

But there he was, frost covering the eyelids that would never reopen. She had let him die, without even offering to share the door. It felt as though her heart was being ripped out of her chest and stomped on.

Slowly, her eyes closed as she succumbed herself to death. If he wasn't going on, then neither was she.

_Never let go, Rose. You must do me this honor._ His last words vibrated inside her mind. Suddenly, her eyes flew open.

She had made him a promise.

"Come back!" she begged to the boat that was now swiftly retreating into the distance. "Come back!"

The boat didn't turn, and Rose knew that she would have to fight for her survival. "I'll never let go, Jack. I promise." She kissed his hand, then, wincing, watched as he sank down into the depths.

The only man that she had ever truly loved was now falling away from her, the ripples distorting her last view of him, until he was gone.

Gone.

Dead.

For a moment, Rose felt a strong desire to jump in after him, to pull him back up into her arms. But she knew that she would never feel his warm embrace again.

The boat was almost gone, and now was not the time to mourn.

She plunged into the water, gasping for breath as the icy waves threatened to pull her down to wherever they had just taken her lover. Eventually, she managed to reach the board where a dead man had a whistle in his mouth. Without thinking, she pulled it from him and blew hard.

She didn't stop blowing the whistle, even as she felt strong hands pull her out of the frigid water into a boat, even as she was wrapped in a blanket like a baby and told to lie down and rest. Eventually, they took the whistle away from her, turning away to look for more survivors.

The whistle had given Rose something to think about, to focus on, other than what had just happened.

Still dazed from frostbite, she looked over beside her, half-expecting to see Jack lying next to her. "We made it, Rose," he would whisper. "We survived, just like I told you we would."

But when she looked over, there was only an empty blanket, unused and unloved. And then it all came rushing back to her.

The first time she saw his face, when she was about to end her life forever…when he said she slipped, lying for her even though he barely knew her…when he taught her to spit, and she realized that she could be herself around him…when she saw his face at the dinner party, with his piercing, ocean-blue eyes…when he told her that he loved her…when she realized that she loved him, too…when they kissed, feeling like they were flying…when she said that she was getting off of the ship with him, and knew that she meant it…when she jumped back onto the ship for him…when he promised that they would survive…when she thought they were both going to die…when she thought they were both safe…when she realized that she would never again see his smile, hear his laugh, feel his tight, safe embrace…when she let him go, for the last time…

Gone.

She closed her eyes, pleading God to take all the bad memories away.

When Rose opened them again, she had to squint against the sun. She must have fallen asleep, and now all of the people in the lifeboats were being transferred to a ship with the name _Carpathia_ printed on the side.

Rose kept quiet as she was helped on board the ship, and refused the hot tea and soup that was offered to her. She felt as though she didn't deserve anything nice after she, the snooty rich girl, had lived, and Jack, the brave, loyal, sweet, humble, perfect man, had died.

A terrible jolt went through her. _Jack had died._ She still couldn't believe that it was true. She put her head in her lap, trying to comprehend why fate had let her survive and Jack freeze to death.

Suddenly, a haughty voice rang out. "Rose!"

She peered up with heavy eyes at a tall, blurry figure, at first not understanding who it was. "Yes?" she said politely, her first-class instincts kicking in.

"Where have you been?" the voice demanded. Her vision cleared, and with horror, she saw that it was Cal.

Hiding her fear, she faced him. "What do you want, Cal?"

He looked taken aback at the frosty tone of voice that she used. "I…I'm glad you're safe, and that that gutter rat isn't with you any—"

"Jack is NOT a gutter rat!" she shrieked, jumping to her feet. Several heads turned their way, and Cal glared at Rose, clearly not wanting her to make a scene, but she didn't care. "He was ten times the man you will ever be, and I wouldn't be standing here without him! And…" she added, her voice faltering. "And…I'm not sure I deserve to be."

She broke down in tears. _I let go of him,_ she thought. _I didn't share the board with him. It's my fault that he's dead. Maybe I just deserve to die._

Cal rolled his eyes, disgusted by her theatrics. "Come on, Ro—"

His scorning was interrupted by a loud shriek. Rose looked up through her tears to see her mother engulf her in a tight hug. "Rose! I thought you had died!"

"No, Mother, I'm fine," Rose said stiffly, not hugging her mother back.

"I was so worried, Rose! I can't imagine what I would do if I lost you," her mother sobbed, her voice muffled in Rose's shirt.

Rose let her body go limp. She was too exhausted to argue, and too depressed to realize what was happening as Ruth took one of her hands and gently led her back to first-class.

_Oh, Jack,_ she thought desperately. _I don't deserve any better than Cal, after letting you freeze to death._

Eventually, her mother and Cal left her alone in the spacious, first-class room that was now her temporary prison, and she quietly cried herself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everybody! First off, **_**thank you**_** for the reviews! I'm always nervous about starting a new story, and I love getting reviews straight off! Big thanks as well to the many people who added me to their favorite stories list, favorite authors list, and story alert list. You're all awesome! Anyway, I am **_**so sorry**_** for not updating in about five days! Between school, homework, babysitting, maintaining a social life, and two hours of volleyball practice every day, I barely have time to think, let alone write! I hope that this chapter will make up for it. Thank you all, again, and DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :) Alright, on with the story!**

Rose stared up at the Statue of Liberty through the torrents of rain that were blurring her vision, trying unsuccessfully to shake off Cal, who had his arm wrapped around her, practically choking her. While living in England, she had forgotten exactly how amazing the Statue was. For a few sweet hours on the Titanic, she had imagined holding hands with Jack while gazing up at it and envisioning their new lives.

Now that dream was gone, swept away from her like the ocean breeze was now sweeping away umbrellas and papers.

"Excuse me, could I get your names please?" an attendant with a clipboard asked in a British accent, walking up to them.

"I'm Caldeon Hockley, this is Ruth Dewitt-Bukater, and this is Rose Dewitt-Bukater," Cal told him loudly before Rose could say anything.

Cal and Ruth walked away as the man began to write down their names. Rose hesitated, then asked quietly, "Could you change my name to Rose Dawson please?" He looked confused, but nodded and changed her name.

She knew that she should ask him whether there was a Jack Dawson on the list, but didn't want to set herself up for more heartbreak. They simply stared at each other for a long beat, the rain soaking Rose's fiery curls. Finally, she said in a hushed voice, "I'm terribly sorry, but could you please check if there is someone named Jack Da—"

"Rose!" Cal was suddenly standing right by her, interrupting her conversation. The man glanced at Cal, seemed to shrug at Rose, and walked away to get more people's names. Rose glared daggers at Cal, but he didn't seem to notice. "Come on, Rose," he said haughtily, grabbing her arm. "We need to get a hotel room before all of the nice ones are taken."

"Don't rush her, Cal," her mother suddenly spoke up. "She's been through a terrible ordeal."

Cal looked taken aback. Rose looked at her mother, one eyebrow raised. _Did my condescending, money-absorbed mother just stick up for me?_

They hurried through the streets, Rose nearly tripping as Cal hastily pulled her along. Finally, they came to a stop at a nice-looking hotel called The Waldorf. Rose vaguely remembered the Astors' mentioning that their cousin owned the hotel.

They walked into the lobby. Chandeliers twinkled over marble floors and perfectly shined sets of silverware on mahogany tables. There were clerks taking luggage, elegant tapestries and paintings lining the walls, and gold threads woven into the plush couches. This was one of the nicest hotels that Rose had ever been in, and that was saying a lot.

"Well, look who it is!" a friendly voice rang out. They turned to see Molly Brown bustling towards them. Both Cal and Ruth wrinkled their noses in disgust, but Rose had never been happier to see a friendly face.

"Molly!" she cried. "You're staying here, too? We should get rooms next to each other!" Cal glared warningly at her, but she firmly avoided his gaze.

"Well, that sure sounds delightful!" Molly smiled at them. "Let's go get checked in."

Rose fell behind as they hurried over to the lobby desk. She looked around with chagrin at the nice surroundings, missing the dingy yet friendly hallways of the third-class decks. Eventually, her gaze fell on a grimy boy at the door. He had light brown hair and big brown eyes, and couldn't have been more than 16 years old. He was begging with the bellboy. "Please, I'm a Titanic survivor, too! I lost my parents, and I have no money and nowhere to stay!"

"This hotel only gives rooms to _first-class_ people, Titanic survivors or not," the bellboy replied haughtily. "Now go away before people see you and get a tainted reputation of our establishment."

The bellboy walked away, leaving the boy slumped against the wall with his head in his hands. Rose felt a surge of compassion, and walked over to him. "I'm sorry that people treat you like that," she said kindly. He looked up and her and blinked. "Here," she continued, handing him a large wad of cash. "Go get yourself a nice room somewhere, okay? And I'm sorry about your parents. I lost someone very dear to me on the Titanic as well."

Rose walked away before he could say anything, leaving him to stare after her. She ran slightly to catch up with Cal and her mother, knowing that they would not approve of what she just did. They were busy with talk of politics, and didn't even notice her reappearance.

After getting rooms (the desk clerk had immediately handed them three room keys for free after he heard that they were on the Titanic), they walked through the lobby and towards the stairs, Cal scoffing the whole way. "The way that that desk clerk looked at us—as if _he_ should feel sorry for _us_. We are probably six times richer than he will ever be." No one said anything in response, but Rose and Molly looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Once they got to the three adjacent rooms, Molly departed to go freshen up. Cal began to pull Rose towards one of the rooms, but Rose stopped and planted her feet firmly into the ground. "There is only one bed per room, Cal."

He looked at her as though she was stating something very obvious. "Yes, Rose. What is your point?"

She felt a twinge of fear as she stared into his menacing brown eyes, but steeled herself. "Cal…I am _not_ sleeping in the same bed as you."

His eyes widened. He took a step towards her, and said very quietly, "I believe that you're mistaken, sweet pea. You _are_ going to share a bed with me."

Rose opened her mouth to protest, but her mother cut in. "Cal, I believe Rose is right. Spouses should not share a bed until marriage. Rose can share a room with me."

Cal looked as though Ruth had smacked him. Finally giving her a stiff nod of consent, he stomped away to his room.

Rose looked at her mother with awe. Never before had she actually listened to her, let alone denied someone like Cal what they wanted, just so Rose could be happy. "Thank you, Mother," she said in a hushed voice.

Ruth paused on her way into her room, giving her a tiny smile. "You're welcome, Rose."

Rose awoke the next morning to the sound of birds singing. Getting silently out of the bed that she was sharing with her mother, she opened the window to let sunlight stream through. It was such a beautiful day—no one would think that in the early hours of yesterday morning, a beyond-horrifying tragedy had occurred.

Ruth woke up when the sun streamed into her eyes. "Good morning, Rose," she said, trying to be proper even though she was rubbing her eyes blearily.

"Good morning, Mother," Rose said, smiling tentatively at her. She wasn't sure if Ruth's unexpected pleasantness the previous night had just been a fluke.

Ruth still demanded that Rose wear a corset under her dress, but didn't tie it quite as tightly as usual. Slowly, they headed down to breakfast.

"Good mornin'!" Molly greeted them cheerfully. Cal just nodded stiffly in their direction, clearly still irked about their fight the night before.

They sat down, and waiters immediately came over with silver platters full of toast with jam, scrambled eggs, and fine wine. Rose stared at her wine and sighed, remembering the cheap beer that her and Jack had drank at the third-class party. She wondered if Cora, Tommy and Fabrizio had made it out alive, and silently prayed that they had. She had been the reason that Jack had left them to fend for themselves, and felt nearly as responsible for their deaths as she did for Jack's.

"So," Cal started, breaking the slightly tense silence. "I was thinking that we should depart for Philadelphia soon, so the wedding can go as planned."

Molly and Rose stopped eating and stared at Cal. Was he really just going to pretend that nothing had happened? Not mourn for the victims of the Titanic, not take Rose's feelings into account? Didn't he even stop to consider that _she no longer loved him_?

Rose sat in silence for the rest of the meal, barely picking at her food, as they made the decision to return to Philadelphia in three days. _They've got you trapped, Rose, and if you don't break free, you'll die_, she remembered Jack telling her.

She wanted to respond to him. _I broke free, Jack! I broke free for a life with you! But now…you're gone, and it's my fault. What else can I do Jack? What more do I deserve then a life with Cal?_

She just wished that she knew how to answer her own question.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, everyone! I wouldn't blame you if you hated me, since I haven't updated for a WHOLE week! The thing is, I have a really busy schedule, so I might not be able to update much, except for on weekends. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review! Thanks :)**

A pair of large blue eyes opened, watching as the room swam into view. It was wood paneled, and beds lined every wall. "W-what happened?" the boy asked a woman in a nurse's uniform that was standing by his bed.

The nurse looked up and smiled kindly at him. "You're awake! It's about time! Well, sweetie, someone saw you float up near the boat when they were looking for survivors. They pulled you out of the water and found out that you still had a pulse! You've been unconscious ever since, but now you're in the hospital on the _Carpathia_. We're almost to New York City, and if you let me examine you then you will most likely be free to go once we dock."

She leaned over and began bending his arms and legs back and forth and testing his vision. "Well," she said after a while. "It seems as though you're fine, and you don't have hypothermia or any such thing. I think we're about to dock, so you can leave if you'd like." She started to walk out of the room, then stopped and asked, "By the way, what is your name?"

The boy looked at her. "Jack. Jack Dawson."

The nurse nodded and walked out of the room. Jack watched her leave, his brow furrowed, still dazed about what had happened. He remembered the sinking, and all the terrible cries of the dying…but he felt as though he was missing something very important…

Then it clicked into place.

_Rose_.

"Rose!" Jack blurted out. A few other patients glanced at him in alarm, but he wasn't paying attention. _I have to find her!_ he thought.

Jack dashed out of the room, ignoring the dizziness that he felt when he stood up. Eventually, he found the end of the maze of hallways and burst out onto the upper deck. Raindrops pattered on his head as he gazed desperately around for the beautiful red curls. People jostled him on their way to getting off the ship, making him stumble this way and that.

Finally, Jack spotted a man with a clipboard that was taking names. "Hey!" he yelled, dashing towards the man. "Will you check if there's a Rose Dewitt Bukater on the list?"

The man nodded and checked. Jack waited, holding his breath, praying with every fiber of his being that she was still alive. Finally, the man looked up. "I'm sorry," he said in a British accent. "But there's no Rose Dewitt Bukater." He glanced at Jack apologetically, then walked away quickly.

Jack simply stood there, stunned, as the rain matted his hair to his head and trickled into his bright blue eyes. _Rose is…gone? But…that's not possible! We survived through everything! I made her promise me that she would never let go!_

Eventually, Jack became aware that he was one of the last ones on the ship. Still dazed, he stumbled onto the dock and through the streets of New York City, not sure where he was going, only wanting to hold Rose in his arms one more time.

"Stop it!" he heard a boy's voice ring out. Following the sound, he turned a corner and saw a young boy, about fifteen or sixteen, pressed against a building by two other boys his age.

"Give us the money!" one of them threatened. The boy shook his head frantically, and received a hard blow to the face.

Blood pounded in Jack's ears. He had just received the worst news of his entire life, and was _not_ in the mood to deal with some teenage bullies. His years of living on the streets kicking in, he walked up behind them, yanked them away from their victim, and threw them onto the ground.

They landed on the pavement with muffled cries, then turned and gazed up at Jack. Even though they were bigger than the boy that they were bullying, Jack still towered over both of them. "I suggest you scram," Jack said evenly. The boys looked at each other nervously, then got up and shuffled away, glaring at Jack.

Jack watched them go, then turned to the boy that was now looking at Jack with awe. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" the boy said, rubbing his head. "Thanks for that." He was shorter than most boys his age, with shaggy light brown hair, big brown eyes, and a round face.

"No problem. Where are your parents?"

Jack was surprised to see the boy suddenly look heartbroken. He hung his head and mumbled, "They died on the Titanic. I was the only one in my family to make it."

Jack felt a rush of shock. So this boy had been on the Titanic and lost people that he loved, too. "Here, kid," he said kindly. "I'll help you find a hotel that you can stay at. I'm Jack Dawson, by the way."

The boy's face lit up. "Gee, thanks! I'm Billy Kenton. Hey, I could pay for your hotel room, too!"

Jack protested at first, but Billy showed him a large wad of cash that was more than enough for a few weeks in two middle-class hotel rooms. Eventually, he agreed.

"So where'd you get the money, Billy?" Jack asked as they wandered through the streets.

"I was trying to get a free room at this nice hotel," Billy admitted. "The bellhops kicked me out, but this nice lady a little older than me gave me all this money. She was really pretty," he added. "She had this curly red hair and big green eyes. She said somethin' about losing someone she loved on Titanic, too."

Jack's eyes widened at his description of the woman. _Could it be…?_ But no, the man had said that there was no Rose Dewitt Bukater on the list. She was gone forever. He sighed as his hopes sank once more.

After a while, Jack remembered a semi-nice hotel that he had stayed at a few years back. As they headed towards it, Billy filled him in on his life.

Billy had grown up on a farm in Kentucky. His parents' names were Maggie and Paul, and he had had a little sister that died only a few days after she was born. He was small for his age and not very strong, but had always been a fast runner, winning all the races at his school. Dogs were his favorite things in the world, and he usually owned about four of them at a time.

His parents had saved money their entire lives to afford a trip to Europe. Eventually, they got three tickets aboard a ship to England. They had lived there for a month, then managed to snag third-class tickets on Titanic to come back to America. "I guess the farm's still there in Kentucky, just waiting for us to come back," Billy sighed.

Eventually, they reached the hotel, and Billy paid for the two rooms. After they went into their separate rooms, Jack lay in bed, staring out the window at the lights of New York City. It all seemed bland to him now that his true love had been ripped away from him by the cruel, unforgiving waters of the ocean.

_Oh, Rose, I would do anything to know that you're still out there._ With that thought, he drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again, everyone! I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. I know, I know, I haven't updated in forever, but I was on vacation for the break. I'm sorry that I don't update more often, but the truth is that I really don't have much free time! I wrote this chapter in a day to try to make up for it. Thank you everyone for being so patient with this story! Love all you guys, and don't forget to review! Alright, enjoy :)**

Rose blinked a few tears out of her shimmering green eyes as she watched the streets of New York City disappear behind her. It was a few days after they had arrived at New York, and Cal had made true to his word: they were departing back to Philadelphia (via train) for the wedding.

At first, Rose had done everything in her power to prevent them going back to Pennsylvania. But as the days passed slowly, she wondered what other options there were. She didn't have any experience working, and couldn't exactly live on the streets. Besides, Jack was gone…and she felt that she needed to punish herself, since it was her fault.

"Oh, Jack…" she sighed, her voice breaking. It was still hard to believe that she would never see those ocean-blue eyes again.

"What's wrong, darlin'?" Molly asked from the seat beside her. Molly had decided to go back to Philadelphia with them to see the wedding, though Rose suspected that the real reason was to help her through her hard time.

With a sigh, Rose lay her head on Molly's shoulder. "I can't believe he's really gone, Molly."

Molly patted her hair. "I know, darlin'. You just gotta be strong in times like these."

They sat like that for the rest of the train ride. Every so often, Ruth would turn from her seat to smile at Rose, and occasionally make small talk.

Ruth had continued being nice to Rose for the past few days, and Rose believed that perhaps the horrific events of Titanic had changed her, making her more appreciative. It was refreshing: even if she was soon going to be stuck in a bad marriage, at least she would actually have a caring mother.

They arrived at Philadelphia eventually, heading to the sprawling Bukater mansion that had been well-cared for during their long stay in England.

Laurel, their maid, answered the door. She was 16 and beautiful, petite with perfectly straight honey-blond hair and a square jaw. She had been their maid since her parents died when she was 12.

"Welcome home!" she exclaimed, curtsying politely. "I got the telegram that you were coming back, so I made some tea. Was your stay in England nice?"

"Yes, Laurel, it was wonderful, now please bring us the tea. We will be in the sitting room," Ruth told her, pushing past her absentmindedly. Cal followed Ruth's lead, strutting into the mansion without even acknowledging Laurel. Molly, however, gave Laurel a big smile and a pat on the shoulder as she passed her.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Laurel," Rose said, following her into the kitchen. She had always been fairly close with Laurel, as they were only a year apart.

"It's wonderful to see you as well, Rose," Laurel said, giving her a smile. "Where's Trudy?"

Rose felt a terrible pang of sadness. Had neither Cal nor her mother thought to tell Laurel what had happened? "Well," she began, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the lump in her throat. "We were on Titanic…"

She couldn't go on, but Laurel understood immediately. "Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry!" she cried, giving her a huge hug. "So many people…"

"Yes," Rose whispered, burying her head in Laurel's shoulder as the tears flowed down her cheeks. "So many…too many…"

…

A few days later, Rose was standing in front of a full-size mirror while a bossy attendant flitted around her, measuring her sizes. Nearly all the wedding preparations had been made, and now they were at a high-end dress store—Rose was being put through the torture of buying her wedding dress.

"I was just double-checking her measurements," the attendant told Ruth, who was sitting on a stool in the corner. "I have her custom made dress right here."

She handed a box to Rose, then dragged her into a separate room, pulled off her clothes, and shoved the uncomfortable wedding dress over her head. "There, you look gorgeous," the attendant said, giving Rose a toothy, fake smile.

Rose turned and eyed her reflection in a mirror. The white dress was strapless, with a fitted bodice that turned into a wide skirt, flowing past her feet. The bodice was studded with tiny diamonds, and the train had lots of lace.

Although Rose couldn't deny that it was beautiful, her reflection looked…off. The dress was too tight, too ornate and revealing. She looked like an object that was being shown off from every angle. _Gee, I wonder if Cal got to help pick this dress,_ she thought to herself sarcastically.

Slowly, Rose walked back into the room where her mother was sitting. "Oh, you look so beautiful!" Ruth exclaimed. "The dress is exactly how I wanted it…but if you don't like it, then we will have it redone," she added quickly, looking concerned.

Rose was touched that her mother actually asked about her opinion, and immediately lied that she loved the dress. Her and her mother had become surprisingly close after Titanic, and she didn't want to ruin anything.

Ruth paid for the dress (with Rose cringing at the price), then they walked home. Rose was lost in thought.

Clearly, her marriage with Cal would be dreadful. However, it seemed that she now had a caring mother, and besides…what other choice did she have? When she had decided to give up first-class life, Jack had still been alive. Rose was lost without him, and would surely never make it a day on her own.

Also, she was punishing herself a little. The more she thought about it, the more guilt-ridden she became.

She hadn't shared the board with Jack, which was the main reason of his death. There was more to it than that, though—if she hadn't showed up in his life, then he would never have gotten blamed for stealing the diamond, never have been locked up, never have had to fight for his life, and…most likely never have died. She was responsible for his death, as well as Tommy's, Fabrizio's, Cora's, and countless others': Jack wouldn't have left them to fend for themselves if he hadn't had to worry about her.

Rose hastily blotted at the tears that started to pour from her eyes as she realized truly how much death and destruction she had caused. If all of this was true, then she most definitely deserved no more than a life with Cal.

Rose sighed, resigned, as the life that she was living sounded worse than ever. _I'm justified to nothing more,_ she reminded herself. Jack was gone, and this time, there was no way out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, everybody! As usual, it's been about a week since I updated, and, as usual, I'm sorry. I hope everyone likes this chapter, though! Enjoy, and REVIEW! :) Thanks, and on with the story!**

Jack added the last few details to his drawing of a woman pushing a baby carriage, then put his charcoal down and sighed.

It had been about a week and a half since the Titanic sank, and Jack was still in New York. He drew and sold artwork in Central Park every day, then went back to the same hotel room every night.

He had been trying to restart his life, to think ahead about where he wanted to go. Everything was just so different now…

Before he had gotten on the Titanic, he had figured that he would get to America with Fabrizio and take him around the country, then maybe stop at Chippewa Falls before pursuing his art career. Then, for those few sweet days on Titanic, he had pictured going to Santa Monica with Rose, seeing the sights, maybe even starting a family.

Now both of those options were long gone. But how could he think about what to do next when the best thing of his life had been taken away from him by cruel fate?

His thoughts were interrupted by a woman around his age walking up and requesting to buy one of his drawings. It was one that he had done earlier that day, of a beautiful woman with curly hair, leaning against the railing of a ship and staring off into the sunset.

Many of the drawings that Jack had drawn since the Titanic had featured Rose, either as the main person or just a character in the background. No matter where he was, he couldn't seem to get her out of his mind.

Reluctantly, he sold the drawing to the woman for ten cents, insisting that she take good care of it. The girl promised that she would, then lingered after he had given it to her, making a very transparent attempt at flirting.

When she asked if he would like to get coffee sometime, Jack stood up quickly. She was pretty, but there was no way that he was ready for that yet…and he wasn't sure if he would ever be.

"Sorry, miss, but I'd better be getting home," he told her, trying to be polite. Quickly packing up his drawings and charcoal pencils, he headed out of Central Park, leaving the disappointed girl behind him.

The sun was just beginning to set as he walked home, touching the treetops with liquid gold. Jack sighed, thinking of how Rose's fiery curls would have lit up in the light.

"Newspapers! Getcha newspapers for only fifteen cents!" Jack heard a familiar voice calling as he neared the hotel that was his temporary home.

"Hey, Billy!" Jack greeted him cheerfully. "How'd the newspaper selling go today?"

Billy was still staying in the room next to Jack, and had gotten a job selling newspapers for fifteen cents each. He was going to head back to his farm in Kentucky soon, but wanted to see a little more of the city life before he went back. Since he hadn't yet decided where to go, he was just saving up the money.

"Jack!" Billy's round face brightened when he saw his friend. "It went great today! I made almost six dollars! Now I have almost $40 total."

"Great job," Jack told him. "You about ready to go get somethin' to eat?"

"Sure," Billy said easily. "Just let me go put my stuff away in my room. Here, you can read this while you wait, if you want." He handed Jack a newspaper, then departed through the swinging doors of the hotel.

Jack sat down against a pillar and scanned the newspaper. Stock exchange, a change in government, nothing interesting. He was about to toss it aside when he noticed a small blurb towards the bottom:

_Titanic survivors listed on page D3._

Jack stared at the line for a moment, then, heart pounding, flipped frantically through the newspaper.

Finally, he found it, a list of endless names. Seeing all of these names, printed casually on the paper, and knowing that twice as many people had died, made Jack feel sick. He shook off the feeling—he needed to know who had survived.

First, he searched Fabrizio's name. Nothing. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he told himself that he had already known that. He looked for Tommy next. Once again, there was nothing. Clenching his jaw, he searched for little Cora. _Please, please._ Yet where her and her father should have been, there was only a blank space between two other names.

Angrily, Jack crumpled the newspaper, gritting his teeth. He wondered if their bodies had been retrieved from the ocean, or if they were some of the ones that had gone down with the ship. _How could this have happened?_ Titanic was supposed to have been _unsinkable_ in the first place!

Suddenly, he was flipping through the pages, tearing some in his haste. He needed to know if Cal had survived, wanted to feel the bitter pleasure of knowing that he was at the bottom of the Atlantic.

Suddenly, he saw it. But instead of just a name, Cal had a little blurb about him, complete with picture.

_Of course, _Jack thought, seething. _Of _course_ he would milk every opportunity that he had to be in the newspaper._

Jack froze when he saw the picture. It had been taken in the first-class dining room on the Titanic. There was Cal, looking smug in his expensive suit, with Lovejoy hovering behind him. There was Ruth on Cal's arm, staring at the camera with proud, cold eyes. But on Cal's other side was…

_Rose._ Jack couldn't believe it. Had they no shame? How could they put a picture of a dead girl in the paper and not even mention the fact that she was _gone_?

Seeing her beautiful face sent a wave of agony through Jack. She was smiling at the camera, but her eyes, green even in the black and white picture, looked troubled. She was even more beautiful then he had remembered.

Blinking back the tears, he quickly scanned the blurb, wanting to know if Cal had even thought to mention that his fiancé was dead. It said:

_Caldeon Hockley, steel tycoon, was fortunate enough to survive the sinking of Titanic. "I feel very lucky to still be alive, and have loads of remorse for all the people that weren't so fortunate. The sinking was a horrifying experience," Caldeon told us. The famed son of Nathan Hockley is going back to his native Philadelphia to carry out the wedding with his fiancé, Rose Dewitt Bukater._

Jack's eyes blurred. He reread the last sentence four times, trying to make sense of it. Rose…wasn't dead? But…that was impossible. There had been no Rose Dewitt Bukater on the list.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He flipped back through the pages, hardly daring to hope. His blue eyes scanned down the page of _D_'s, until he came to _Dawson._ There was Jack Dawson, and right under that…

Rose Dawson.

_Rose is alive._

"She's alive," Jack whispered, his face breaking into a smile. "She's alive!" he shouted, startling the people walking past him.

Billy walked out of the hotel at that moment, his paperboy cap and bag full of newspapers gone. "Hey, Jack. Who's alive?" he asked as his eyes fell on Jack, crouched over the newspaper, his eyes full of a feverish excitement.

Jack wasn't listening. _Rose is alive!_ The thought banged around in his head again and again, making him dizzy. They had probably missed each other on the Carpathia by a matter of seconds. He realized that he would once again see her smile, hear her laugh, feel her in his arms…

Then slowly, the excitement dimmed. The newspaper had said that her and Cal had gone back to Philadelphia to get married. Cal obviously had her trapped again, and it was up to Jack to rescue her.

Billy watched apprehensively as the light in Jack's eyes was replaced by a fiery determination. Jack got to his feet, still clutching the newspaper.

"Hey, Billy," he said slowly. "Since you weren't sure where to go next…how's Philadelphia sound?"

**Yay, plot twist! Anyway, this is IMPORTANT!**

**Purely for the enjoyment of my viewers, I put links on my profile to what I pictured Rose's wedding dress, Laurel (their maid), and Billy (Jack's friend) to look like. If you want to see, go to my profile page, and they will be at the top. **

**If you like how I pictured them, hate how I pictured them, etc, then feel free to comment on it in your review!**

**That's all for now, and I'll have the next chapter up soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh. My. Gosh. I wouldn't blame you guys if you wanted to kill me! It's been TWO WEEKS since I last updated! I can't tell you how sorry I am. I really haven't had any free time at all in the last few weeks, but now that Christmas break is here, I'll update every few days, I promise! Alright, here's chapter six! Don't forget to review! Thanks :)**

Rose sighed, staring out her bedroom window at the Bukater's backyard lawn. Even though it was late evening, workers and wedding planners were still bustling around, setting up party tents, bouquets of flowers, and lots of silky chairs.

It was an outdoor wedding, with the altar set up in a little gazebo entwined with flowers, under a weeping willow tree. There was a long white aisle, and hundreds of white chairs with more flowers entwined in them on either side of the aisle.

It was May 1st, and exactly four days until the wedding, which would take place at 3:00 on May 5th. Rose shuddered, remembering what Cal had said to her a few hours before: "In just four days, you'll be Rose Hockley. Doesn't that sound marvelous?"

Rose sat down at her vanity and started pulling a brush through her mass of curls. _Being Cal's wife may be hell, but at least I'll have Mother with me._

Rose and her mother's relationship were closer than ever before, and she couldn't bear to part with her mom now. It didn't matter that they had never been close before, that Ruth had always scorned her. Ruth had changed, and loved and respected her.

Suddenly, Rose really needed to talk to her. The guilt and loss of Jack's death combined with the despair of soon being Cal's wife were threatening to overwhelm her, and she needed someone to hold her and tell her that everything would be okay.

"Mother?" she called, exiting her room and walking into the vast, empty hallway. _Maybe she's downstairs getting a late snack._

Rose plodded down the wooden stairs, grasping the mahogany handrail for support. She stepped softly onto the ground floor and started walking through the expensively furnished rooms, her bare feet making nearly no noise and her dress trailing behind her like a ghost.

As she neared one of the many sitting rooms, she heard voices. Walking closer, she recognized Molly's booming, slightly country voice, and Ruth's quiet, clear one. Molly was staying in one of the guest rooms until the wedding.

A greeting bubbled to her lips, but died in her throat as she heard her own name mentioned among the murmur of voices.

"…got to stop doing this to Rose!" Molly was saying. Rose crept closer, hardly daring to breath.

"Do not tell me how to treat my own daughter, Molly," Ruth said coldly. "I know what I'm doing."

"It's not fair to her, though!" Molly protested. "She thinks you guys are close now!"

"Let her think what she wants," Ruth hissed dangerously. "I don't _care_ how it will make her feel! What else could I do, but pretend to get closer to her, after she ran off with that peasant boy!" Her voice steadily increased in volume. "It was nothing but luck that he died and we found her again! We almost lost our fortune! I knew that when we found her again, she wouldn't be happy with Cal, so what could I do but pretend to _respect her wishes?_" Ruth said the last three words as though she couldn't think of anything worse.

"But when she realizes that you don't care about her any more than you did on Titanic—" Molly started to say.

Ruth interrupted, her voice soft. "When she realizes, it will be too late. She will be happily married to Cal…well, maybe not _happily_, but still married! The Bukaters' good name will be saved, and we will have money once again!"

Rose couldn't bear to hear any more. She sprinted back down the hallways, covering her mouth to keep from crying out. Finally, she got back to her room, locked the door, and flung herself upon her bed.

Rose lay on her fluffy covers and cried, cried until there were no tears left. She cried because her mother's love was fake, cried because Cal would soon be her husband, and, of course, she cried for Jack.

Everything in Rose's life had gone wrong: her true love was wasting away at the bottom of the Atlantic, and she was unwillingly marrying a terrible man. She had tried to distract herself from these terrible facts by falling for her mother's fake love and respect.

_How_ had she not seen through it sooner?

The answer was simple: she hadn't wanted to.

She had ignored the disapproval in Ruth's eyes, disregarded the flinch in her voice when she spoke to her. Rose hadn't wanted to admit that the one good thing in her life was as false as everything else.

Rose sat up abruptly, a sudden idea forming. Why shouldn't she just run away? It's not as though there was anything worth being here for anymore.

Her resolve hardened. She pulled out a large purse and went to her closet, stuffing dresses at random into the bag. _Living on the streets would be better than one more minute here,_ Rose thought to herself fiercely. Next, she put in her hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a pair of shoes with the lowest heels she could find.

Rose looked around to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, and remembered the most important thing of all. Quickly, she lifted up her mattress and from beneath it pulled the Heart of the Ocean. She had found it in her coat pocket, but told Cal that it went down with the ship.

Not pausing to watch it sparkle, Rose put it in a hidden inside pocket of her purse. She hated the diamond—it was an awful heavy thing—but she could sell it while on the street and make enough money to get far away from Philadelphia.

Rose got up and opened her bedroom door, ready to leave…only to find Cal waiting on the other side. His eyes raked across the tear tracks etched on her cheeks and the purse stuffed with clothes on her arm. "Going somewhere, dear?" he asked, smiling wryly at her.

Rose looked down. "Leave me alone, Cal." She tried to push past him.

His composed smile suddenly contorted into a furious snarl. With a fluid motion, he yanked her back into the room and pinned her against the wall so hard that the picture frames along it shook.

"Cal, stop!" Rose shrieked, fighting pointlessly against him.

He ignored her. "So, planning to run away? Perhaps going to live on the street like your beloved gutter rat? It's too bad that he died, he could have helped you adjust!"

Tears sprang to Rose's eyes. "Don't talk about Jack like—"

He interrupted her. "Of course, I bet you feel terrible that you survived and he didn't. How did you manage to? Perhaps sacrificed him for your own personal benefit? Finally, some knowledge is rubbing off on you."

Silent sobs shook Rose's body. Although she hated to admit it, he was right—it was completely, 100% her fault.

"Stop crying!" Cal snapped, pushing her harder into the wall. Suddenly, she felt his fist slam into her cheek. Her hand flew up to her face, and her mouth opened wide in shock.

"Listen, sweet pea." She could feel his hot breath on her face, but refused to meet his eyes. "I put up with your silliness on the Titanic," he continued, his voice dangerously low. "I didn't enforce my rules for you much before we got on that stupid ship, and I see now that that was a mistake. I didn't even punish you for your disloyalty to me with thatDawson character."

He grabbed her jaw and pulled her head around, forcing her to look him square in the eye. "But if you try to run away, I _will_ hurt you. Soon you will be my wife and belong to me, and we won't have to worry about that anymore." He smirked at her, patted her cheek roughly, and exited the room.

Rose stood in stunned silence for a moment, then fell to the floor and curled up into a trembling ball. _I'm sorry, Jack, I'm so sorry!_ she thought, shaking as the tears flowed. _Oh, Jack, I wish you were here to save me again._

But this time, there was no one to save her. That was her last thought before she cried herself to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, everybody! First, I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I got a new Apple computer, so I've spent all day trying to figure out how to work it. Anyway, I'm **_**really sorry**_** for not updating in a week! I thought that I would have more time since the holidays started, but I still have volleyball every day, and honestly, I've been taking advantage of all the relaxation time that I can get! Anyway, I hope that everyone likes this chapter. As usual, enjoy and don't forget to REVIEW! Thanks :)**

"C'mon, Billy, we'll miss our train!" Jack shouted over his shoulder as they sprinted through the train station.

It was 8:00am on May 2nd, and Jack and Billy were sprinting through the New York City train terminal; their train to Philadelphia left in five minutes.

Once Jack had learned that Rose was still alive and once again trapped by Cal, he had nearly dragged Billy to the train station. Billy, of course, was up for anything, and had even paid for his own ticket. "Hey, I wanted to see some more of the city life," Billy had said when Jack protested. "Why not start with Philadelphia?"

However, they had had to wait a week before going, as no third-class train tickets were available. Jack had been so eager to go that he nearly had started to hike across the country, before Billy talked some sense into him.

"You need to slow down, Jack!" Billy panted as they raced through the station, nearly knocking over bystanders.

"No, you need to speed up!" Jack called over his shoulder, grinning. "After all, I've got the tickets!"

A sudden jolt through him as he realized how very alike this was to the Titanic: running through a crowd to catch a vehicle, waving the tickets in the air and telling his friend that he needed to run faster. _It won't be like last time,_ Jack told himself firmly. _Rose and I _won't _be separated this time._

They finally skidded to a stop in front of the train headed to Pennsylvania. Breathless, Jack handed his ticket to the conductor, ignoring the look of distaste that the conductor gave them as his eyes ran over their shabby clothes and sweaty faces.

They hopped into the train, passing the first-class section, where people sat in velvet seats sipping martinis, then the slightly less nice second-class section, finally arriving at the grimy third-class car.

"So," Billy started as they took their seats, "you never told me exactly what happened with you and this Rose person. I mean, I know you were in love, but why'd you get separated?"

Jack sighed, leaning against the hard metal seat. "Well, Billy, she had left her fiancé for me—don't give me that look, he was a terrible person!" Jack clarified when Billy looked shocked. "Anyway, after the Titanic sank, she thought I was dead and her fiancé found her again."

"So now she's trapped and we're going to bravely rescue her?" Billy guessed as the train started to pull out of the station.

"You got it."

Billy suddenly looked hesitant. "Jack…did you ever consider that maybe she _wants_ to marry her fiancé?"

Jack snorted. _Oh, Billy, you naïve kid._ "Yeah, that's about as likely as me turning into a chimpanzee right this minute."

Billy relaxed, seeing how confident Jack was about it. "So, we go to Philadelphia…then what? How do we find her? And what do we do _when_ we find her?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan," Jack said firmly. Billy nodded, then got up to go to the bathroom.

Jack leaned back in his seat, his brow creased. He felt bad for lying to Billy, but what could he say? _Sorry, kid, we're just gonna have to wing it and hope that her fiancé doesn't kill us. _No, this was better. Besides, he would definitely think of something during the long train ride.

…

They arrived in the Philadelphia station two and a half days later, on the chilly evening of May 4th. The old, decrepit train had been delayed several times due to engine issues—probably why the tickets had been so cheap.

Jack and Billy gathered what little possessions they had, then hopped off the train, breathing in the cool night air. Neither of them had been to Philadelphia before, but Jack wasn't surprised by what he saw—it was pretty much just a smaller, slightly cleaner New York City.

Billy grinned. "I'll never get used to how many people cram themselves into the roads of a big city!"

Jack nodded, only half paying attention. How soon was Rose's wedding? What if it had_ already happened_?

He shook his head. It couldn't have already happened. It had barely been three weeks since the Titanic sank; surely they would have postponed it to rethink things in the events that had happened on the ship. "It won't be for at least a few weeks," he muttered to himself.

Billy interrupted his thoughts. "So, what now, Jack?"

Jack floundered for a second. No brilliant idea had come to him on the train, and he basically had no idea how to proceed. "It's late," he finally said. "Let's find us a hotel room, and in the morning we'll figure out where in Philly she is."

Billy nodded earnestly. He had been eager to follow Jack's every wish since Jack had saved him from the bullies.

Jack asked a few people at the train station, and they directed them to a semi-nice hotel just a few blocks away. While they were walking to it, Jack kept an eye out for anything that would point him in Rose's direction. No luck though—there was nothing, not so much as a single flyer.

They got to the hotel and used their quickly dwindling supply of cash to book two rooms for a couple nights. They were both nearly out of money, and if they stayed here more than a week he would have to either get a job or start sleeping under a bridge again.

Jack said goodnight to Billy, then headed up to his room on one of the top floors. After washing his face and changing clothes for the first time since getting on the train, he opened the curtains to reveal a stunning view of all of Philadelphia.

_Where are you, Rose?_ he thought desperately, squinting as though he could make out her fiery hair moving down the street if he focused hard enough. _I know you're here somewhere. I _will_ find you, I promise._

With a sigh, he closed the curtains and drifted into an anxious, uneasy sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, everybody! I know I can never apologize enough for how long of a break it's been, but I'm so, so, **_**so**_** sorry! I know it's not an excuse, but I have volleyball every day and tournaments on weekends, and I hadn't really given this story a thought since nearly Christmas. My team is second in the state for our division, so our coaches have been working us a LOT! Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for not giving up on this story. I love all you guys! I promise I'll try to write more often. So enjoy this chapter, and REVIEW please! :) **

Rose awoke with a start, then stared at her ceiling. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something bad was happening today.

Then it rushed back to her. She sat bolt upright in bed, barely noticing the tears that started to was May 5th.

_Today was her wedding day._

Rose collapsed back onto the bed and buried her face in her pillow, body shaking with sobs. "Jack…" she whimpered.

_How_ could she have gotten herself into this mess? Her true love was dead, she was engaged to an awful man, and now that her mother had been revealed as a fraud, there wasn't a single person in the world that truly cared about her. Now, in a few hours, she would belong to the most despicable man on the face of the earth.

_You deserve this,_ Rose firmly reminded herself. _You are responsible for the death of Jack and countless others, and this is your punishment. Like it or not, there's nothing you can do about it._

After what seemed like an eternity of lying in bed, tears slowly saturating the pillow, there came a timid knock at her door. "Go away," she moaned, far beyond minding her manners.

"Please let me in, Rose," Laurel's meek voice floated through the cracks in the door. "I just want to talk."

Rose didn't respond, but after a moment, Laurel opened the door a bit and stuck her head in anyway, hesitantly giving her a smile.

"Fine," Rose sighed, resigned. "You can come in."

As Laurel came and sat down on Rose's bed, Rose avoided eye contact, self-consciously aware that her eyes were puffy and red and her curls were sticking to the tear tracks on her face. "Do you need something?" she asked, facing the floor. She knew she was being rude, but if anyone deserved a little lenience, it was her.

"I heard you crying from the hallway," Laurel explained softly. "I know you're not very happy with Cal, and I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."

Rose sniffed, trying to keep more tears at bay. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Laurel nodded, then hesitated, seemingly deciding whether to ask something. "I was wondering…why are you so unhappy? Cal will be able to support you for the rest of your life."

Rose frowned, but Laurel seemed to really care for her. Why not tell her? "I met someone on Titanic, Laurel," she whispered. "His name was Jack Dawson. He was third-class, but perfect. He saved me, in every way a person can be saved. And…I let him die the night Titanic sank!" Her chin wobbled, and tears blurred her vision once more.

Laurel hugged Rose tightly, stroking her hair. "Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry," she said over and over.

Eventually, Rose managed to choke out: "Cal is evil, Laurel. He may not seem like it at first, but he's a wretched man!"

"Then why are you still marrying him?" Laurel asked, puzzled.

"Because…" Rose whimpered pitifully, then took a deep breath. "Because there's no Jack to save me this time."

She sat in Laurel's embrace for a few more minutes. "You know," Laurel said suddenly. "I've always wanted to live on a farm again."

Rose blinked, startled at the change of conversation. "Really?"

She nodded earnestly. "You know that my parents ran a coffee shop, but we lived next to a small farm. I would always help out there when I wasn't at school or working in the coffee shop. I loved to feed the animals. Don't get me wrong, Rose, I've loved working for your family. But I never did like being a maid." She sighed, looking wistfully out the window. "Maybe one day, I'll marry a man and we'll run a farm down south. But until that day comes, I make do with what I have."

Rose nodded. "I see what you mean. We'll both leave here someday, Laurel."

Laurel gave her a small smile. "You better believe it," she told Rose firmly, then stood up. "I'd better go help with the…preparations."

As Laurel started to walk out of the room, an idea suddenly struck Rose. "Wait," she told her, rushing to the bag that she had packed when she was thinking of running away. After Cal had hit her, she hadn't even looked at it, let alone unpacked it.

After rifling through the bag, Rose eventually found what she was looking for. "Here," she said, pulling out the Heart of the Ocean. Laurel's eyes grew huge and she sucked in a breath. "Cal gave it to me, but he thought it went down with the ship. I want you to have it." Laurel was the only true friend Rose had, and she herself hated the diamond, so why not give it to Laurel?

Laurel immediately started to protest, but Rose talked over her. "It's not like I'll get any use out of it anyway! No one can see me with it, or else they'll tell Cal that I still have it! You should sell it when you get out of this place someday. Please take it." She pressed it into Laurel's hand.

"Rose…I don't know how to thank you…" Laurel began in a hushed voice.

Rose smiled. "You don't have to. You should probably get going before my mother yells at you, though."

Laurel nodded, still speechless, and practically skipped out of the door, nearly bumping into Ruth as she came around the corner. "Laurel!" Ruth snapped. "It's nearly ten o'clock! Rose's wedding is in five hours, and you shouldn't be up here socializing! Go start making the appetizers!"

"Yes, ma'am," Laurel said, curtsying apologetically and hurrying down the stairs.

"Hello, dear," Ruth exclaimed, smiling at Rose. She still didn't know that Rose had found out that her affection was fake. It was painfully transparent now that Rose was paying attention, though: the smile looked like more of a grimace, and her eyes were cold and removed.

"Hello, mother," Rose mumbled tiredly.

"I've brought a hairstylist and makeup artist," Ruth told her as two people stepped into the room.

The hairstylist, a tall man with edgy black hair, smirked condescendingly at her, beginning to work on her hair without so much as a hello. The makeup artist, a plump older woman, frowned at her, told her to hold still, and didn't speak again.

The primping went on for hours, Rose getting twitchier and more desperate with every brushstroke. Eventually, they pulled away. "She is acceptable," the woman acknowledged, the man nodding in agreement.

It felt like a nightmare as Ruth shooed them out of the room, then stuffed Rose's wedding dress over her head. "You look perfect!" she exclaimed, examining Rose. Her eyes were shining greedily, and Rose knew that she was being pictured as a big dollar sign. Ruth made a twirling motion with her fingers, and Rose turned around and saw herself in a mirror.

She looked beautiful, there was no denying it. Her makeup was lavishly done, and her hair was elegantly twisted on top of her head. She didn't look real, though; more like a Barbie doll that people loved to own and play with, to keep as a prize but never actually care about.

Ruth smiled a twisted smirk. "Don't you just love it, dear?" she simpered.

Rose didn't trust herself to open her mouth lest she start to sob, but she didn't have time to answer anyway. Right that moment, a bell was rung from somewhere on the main floor. "That's the signal for everyone to take their places!" Ruth said breathlessly, bright patches appearing on her cheeks.

Rose was ushered down the stairs, with everyone _ooh_ing and _aah_ing at her except for Laurel, who just gave her a sad smile.

There was a beat of silence, then the wedding music began to play. To her, however, it sounded more like a funeral march. _Well, Rose,_ she thought to herself wryly as she fought the tears, _Welcome to the first day of the rest of your miserable life._


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't even know how to apologize. I haven't updated this story in THREE MONTHS! What can I say? I had volleyball tournaments all over the country, and practice every day of the week. I just lost track of this story, and I'm sorry. Anyway, this is the last chapter, not counting the epilogue or author's note. I'll have both of those up by tomorrow at the latest. Thanks for being patient, you guys :) Don't forget to review, and most importantly, enjoy!**

_Tears poured in torrents down Rose's face as Jack watched helplessly. He wanted to run to her where she was standing at the altar next to Cal, to whisk her away with him, but his feet felt glued to the ground. He struggled toward her in slow motion, his eyes widening in horror as her lips formed the words, "I do..."_

"Rose!" Jack sat bolt upright in bed, his hair matted to his forehead with sweat. Panting, he looked around, then collapsed back onto the bed. _It was just a dream. Only a dream..._

The terrifying thing was that that dream could become a reality any minute, as he had no idea when she was getting married.

Groaning, he rolled out of bed, pulled on his only pair of jeans and a ratty T-shirt, and opened the windows. Sunlight shone in, giving the somewhat shabby room a cheerful atmosphere. _Today the search begins,_ he thought to himself grimly. How the hell was he going to find Rose in such a humongous city?

He headed down to the lobby. "Hey, Billy," he greeted his friend.

"Jack! Hi!" As always, Billy's face brightened when Jack came into view. "So where are we goin now?"

"Lemme think for a minute," Jack edged around the question. He had no idea where to start looking. "Here, why don't we get some breakfast first?"

They walked next door to a quaint cafe and both ordered coffees. "I don't know, Jack," Billy was babbling as they sat down at a booth. "I think I've seen enough of the city. I miss my Kentucky, and my farm, and my dog...I think after we find your girl, I'll go back their and run the farm on my own."

"That sounds good, Billy!" Jack encouraged, sipping the bitter coffee. "I'm not entirely sure where Rose and I will go next. Wherever we feel is right, I guess."

Billy slumped down in his chair, his boyish face pouty. "I wish I had a girl."

Jack chuckled. "Billy, there's no need to hurry. When the right one comes...you'll know it. For now, it's time to get down to business." He pulled a dime out of his pocket and bought a copy of the Philadelphia newspaper from the cafe barista.

Leafing through it, Jack looked for any hint of the wedding. A blurb about local businessmen perhaps, or an ad about wedding dresses.

He flipped to the third page of the paper and nearly spit out his coffee in surprise. There was a picture of Rose and Cal, arm in arm, taking up nearly the whole page. The article under the picture read: _The day has come at last! Steel tycoon Caldeon Hockley and his lovely fiancé Rose Dewitt Bukater met about eight months ago and immediately fell in love. They have faced many adversities throughout their relationship, the biggest being the tragic sinking of the Titanic, but they powered through them all. Now, the time has finally come for their wedding! They are getting married today at 3:00pm. It is a private backyard wedding. "I am deeply grateful that we stayed true to each other through everything," Cal explained in an interview. "We have had some hard times, but now I look forward to the rest of my life with my beautiful wife..."_

Jack felt his mouth go dry as he read the article. "_Today?" _He croaked. "But...that's not possible!"

Billy had been reading the article over Jack's shoulder, his mouth forming a small round O_._ "Well, we better move fast then, hadn't we?" he muttered grimly as he downed the rest of his coffee and hopped up.

Jack blinked. "What?"

"Well, c'mon! We still gotta rescue her! And apparently we only have two hours to do it!" Billy bounded up to the barista making coffees. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said, putting on his innocent face. "We are delivering flowers to the Hockleys' wedding reception, but we seem to have our addresses mixed up. Could you point us in the right direction?"

The barista looked him up and down suspiciously, then seemed to shrug. "It's about eight or nine miles that way. Just follow that road. It's a big white mansion, you really can't miss it."

Billy and Jack were flying out the door almost before she had finished speaking.

...

Rose's breath caught in her throat as she emerged into the bright sunlight. There was a collective sigh from the audience, but Rose didn't hear any of it. She was madly battling the tears that threatened to spill over her lashes.

She moved down the aisle slowly, the tune sounding more like a funeral march then a wedding song. Her dress was long and uncomfortable, and she almost tripped over it several times. The bouquet of roses that she was holding had a too-strong, cloying scent, nearly making her choke.

_I can't believe this is happening,_ she thought crazily to herself. _I don't want to marry Cal...but Jack's gone. There are no other options!_

She looked up from the bouquet that was making her head swim, directly into Cal's blank eyes. He had a jaunty smile plastered on his face, but those dark eyes seemed to glare straight through her.

That look from Cal ended Rose's willpower, and she burst into tears. The crowd smiled, thinking they were happy ones, but Cal and her mother stiffened. Ruth shot a look at Rose that said, _you better not mess this one up._ Rose sniffed and looked away, tears still cascading down her pale cheeks, beyond caring.

After what seemed like an eternity, she arrived at the altar. The priest began his speech in a monotone, Rose trying to silence her tears. "Caldeon Hockley, do you take Rose Dewitt Bukater to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Cal paused to smirk at Rose, then turned to the crowd and announced, "I do!"

The priest smiled briefly for the "happy couple", then turned to Rose and began to speak. Rose couldn't quite make out the words, however. Everything seemed muted and distant.

She became aware that the priest had stopped talking at was smiling expectantly at her. Cal had dropped all pretenses and was scowling at her, his hands twitching as if he longed to slap her.

Rose cleared her throat, trying not to scream. _Good-bye, Jack_, she thought to herself, _I love you_. Slowly, she opened her mouth. "I...I-"

"ROSE!"

The crowd gasped, turning around in their seats to watch two figures flying up the road, both in semi-dirty clothes and soaked with sweat. Rose, meanwhile, had frozen. She would know that voice anywhere...but it couldn't be...

"Jack?" she mouthed. The figures came closer and stopped at the end of the aisle, doubled over panting. She saw a young boy, the same one that she had seen outside the hotel in New York...then she saw the other person and all thought stopped.

It was Jack.

The next second, she was flying towards him, aimlessly throwing the bouquet aside, hiking up her dress so she could run faster. It didn't matter how he was alive or where he had been the past month, all that mattered was that he was here, and she could see him smiling at her again.

"Jack!" she shrieked, sobbing openly, her makeup running in streaks down her face.

"Rose!" he whispered, grabbing her in his arms and holding her tightly. They stood there for an immeasurable amount of time, arms wrapped around each other, not saying a word. Rose never wanted to move again.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder yank her away from Jack. She whipped around and found Cal's furious face inches from hers. "And just where do you think you're going?" he hissed, trying to drag her back to the altar. "You're not going back there! You're NOT going to be a whore to the gutter rat again, not this ti-"

Before he could finish talking, Jack's fist slammed into the side of his face, knocking him flat on his back. The crowd, which had been sitting in a stunned silence, now began to scream all at once. In a low voice, so no one else could hear, Rose said, "I'd rather be his whore than your wife. You've heard those words before, haven't you? Maybe this time, you'll believe them."

She then took Jack's hand, turned, and sprinted, away from everything she had ever known, not looking back.

They stopped about a mile down the road, Rose gasping for breath. People on the street gaped at them: a boy in dirty clothes next to a girl with a lavish wedding dress and makeup streaks on her face. "Can-can we sit down for a minute?" she panted, clutching her side.

Jack nodded, leading her onto a grassy area. They sat behind some bushes, where almost no one would notice them. "So..." Rose asked finally. "How are you alive?"

He told her what had happened with him: how he had thought she was dead, lived in New York for a while, then found out she was alive and come to Philadelphia to rescue her. Rose smiled, falling more in love with him every second.

He had just finished when a shout rang out. "Jack? Rose?"

Rose started to crouch down below the bushes, but Jack popped his head up. "Billy!" he shouted.

Rose sat up. "_Laurel?" _ she asked disbelievingly.

Laurel grinned at Rose, hand-in-hand with Billy. "Well, after you and Jack fled the ceremony, I thought about what you had told me, and I figured that it was time to start living my life, too. So...I just ran after you two. Everything was in such chaos that I'm pretty sure they didn't even see me leaving. Billy was running after you as well, and-believe it or not-he has a _farm_ in Kentucky! I've always wanted to live on a farm!" Her eyes shone.

"Yeah," Billy agreed. "I think I've had enough of the city life. I miss my farm and my friends and my dog, Jack."

Rose and Jack were stunned, but happy for both of them. "Let's go to the train station and get outta here, then!" Jack offered.

They only made one stop on the way: to a jewelery store, who bought the Heart of the Ocean from them for an unbelievable price. They split the money evenly.

Soon they were at the train station, with people bustling around them, giving them strange glances, and piercing whistles of trains in every direction.

"I guess this is it, then," Billy said ruefully. Him and Jack shook hands while Laurel and Rose exchanged a sad goodbye.

"I'll miss you, Rose," Laurel whispered. Rose nodded tearfully. "Maybe we'll visit you sometime!"

Then they were gone, aboard a train to Kentucky. Rose and Jack stood and waved until their figures receded to pinpoints in the distance, then faced each other."Whaddaya say we give Santa Monica a try?" Jack offered, grinning down at Rose.

She smiled, still unable to believe that he was really _here_. He had saved her once again, and this time, she would never let go.


	10. Epilogue and Author's Note

Epilogue

Jack and Rose moved to Santa Monica, where Jack eventually purchased an art gallery, becoming famous for his work. Rose, meanwhile, became a successful interior designer, starring in several plays on the side. Occasionally newspaper articles popped up about Cal searching the country for his lost fiancé, but he never came anywhere near California. Jack and Rose had two beautiful children: a girl with flowing blonde hair and shimmery green eyes named Laurel, and a boy with red curls and ice-blue eyes named Billy.

They never saw their friends Billy and Laurel again: they had moved to Kentucky, hired several helpers for Billy's farm, and lived a comfortable life. Billy did most of the work on the farm, and it became rather successful after a while. Laurel, meanwhile, managed the farm's horses, eventually entering them in several horse shows.

The two couples lived happily throughout their lives, nearly forgetting about their experiences on _Titanic_ after a while. They all died peacefully in their sleep: Jack and Laurel passed away in the '80s, Billy died in the early '90s, and Rose lived until 2001. They all passed away in bliss, with no regrets of the heart.

**Author's Note**

**I'm sad that this story is over! It was fun to write. I'm sorry that it ended so abruptly. I just got too busy and lost my inspiration for the story. Thanks for being so patient and sticking with me to the end :)**

**I would like to thank quite a few people:**

**First, the 39 reviews that I have gotten so far, as well as the 21 people that added this to their Favorite Story list and the 23 people that added it to their Story Alert list!**

**I would like to especially thank EternalSerenityGallaghergirl, taylorsierra, Loves2Write34, and Leo Me Enamoraste for their many reviews, as well as Lady Elena Dawson, behindclosedlipsxoxo, and ThomasAndrewsPrincess1912 for their extremely long and elaborate reviews! I know that many, many more people than this reviewed, but these were my top reviewers: they either reviewed almost every chapter or left long, well-thought, in-depth reviews.**

**So, now it's time to switch this story to Complete. Don't worry though, guys-you'll hear from me again soon! I already have a plot in mind for my next story, so you'll see that in a couple days, though I might write a one-shot for the Pretty Little Liars books first.**

**I love all you guys :) Thanks again, and, as always, I hope you enjoyed.**

**-Volleyballgirl122 (aka Natalie)**


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